Head-to-head: 2014 Range Rover Sport vs. 2014 BMW X5
Today’s luxury SUVs are essentially luxury sedans on stilts, withal all the prestige and performance you could want. But not all of these Lux-u-vees are created equal, so we compare two of the very best, the Land Rover Range Rover Sport and the BMW X5. Both are all-new and massively improved for 2014. But which one wins?
LED lighting in the front and rear, a chunky fender vent, and a chiseled shape make the 2014 Range Rover Sport a delight to look at.
When it comes to testing two premium luxury SUVs that can push their price-tags into six figures, one thing is certain: neither is going to stink up the place. That’s why comparing the all-new 2014 BMW X5 and just-as-new Land Rover Range Rover Sport is like deciding between crème brûlée and crème caramel…they’re both delicious (and highly caloric). But alas, they have very different characters.
Style Statements
If you can only drive one at a time, and if it was my money, I’d go with the Land Rover Range Rover Sport. Why? The 2014 BMW X5’s new exterior is dowdier than before, with slab sides and a blunter nose. We wouldn’t say the X5 is unattractive, but its design relies on things like nifty LED lights and various decorative ornaments on the fasciae and body-sides to dress up the styling. Like flat-front khakis and a pastel polo shirt; the X5 is country-club correct, if not terribly interesting.
The Range Rover Sport has plenty of decoration on the exterior too. This includes sleek LED lighting at the front and rear, as well as a chunky fender vent. The chiseled shape is simply more distinctive than the BMW. Range Rover also offers countless customization opportunities, including an available contrast-color roof treatment. The clear fashion-statement winner here is definitely the Rover.
The 2014 BMW X5 may not be the hottest looking thing, but it does the trick.
Cabin Comfort
Both of these vehicles have opulent cabins, with even more premium materials and features on the options lists. But the Bimmer bests the Range Rover Sport in two key areas: space (there’s more of it, with room for up to seven passengers) and the control interface. BMW has worked for years to perfect its hockey-puck-and-screen iDrive infotainment system, and now it works brilliantly.
The Range Rover Sport can only seat five, and for infotainment, it uses a touch screen interface that can’t multitask terribly well and is annoyingly slow to respond to inputs. That said, the seats are wonderful (as they are in the Bimmer, to be fair), and Rover’s boxy interior design is quite regal and British in character.
The 2014 BMW X5 may not be the hottest looking thing, but it does the trick.
Cabin Comfort
Both of these vehicles have opulent cabins, with even more premium materials and features on the options lists. But the Bimmer bests the Range Rover Sport in two key areas: space (there’s more of it, with room for up to seven passengers) and the control interface. BMW has worked for years to perfect its hockey-puck-and-screen iDrive infotainment system, and now it works brilliantly.
The Range Rover Sport can only seat five, and for infotainment, it uses a touch screen interface that can’t multitask terribly well and is annoyingly slow to respond to inputs. That said, the seats are wonderful (as they are in the Bimmer, to be fair), and Rover’s boxy interior design is quite regal and British in character. By contrast, the X5’s cabin is modern and sleek – but its business-like sterility can also work against it. In terms of luxury and style, this contest is a draw.
Deciding between these luxury sport utilities comes down to an emotional connection to the vehicle. After all, that’s something a person ought to have when plunking down $60K—$100K for a vehicle. Did we find ourselves more excited about hopping into the cool and functional X5, or the character-rich Range Rover Sport? In terms of overall character, the Range Rover Sport is the winner.
2015 Lexus NX vs. 2015 Audi Q5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoIx3NqZ1zk
2014 Audi Q5 vs. 2014 Mercedes-Benz GLK 250 BlueTEC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c98GbcfHa1E
2015 Range Rover Sport vs. 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
2015 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque
2014 AUDİ Q5 vs. 2014 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvFuYpAWP2I
2014 Infiniti QX70
2014 Porsche Cayenne
Today’s luxury SUVs are essentially luxury sedans on stilts, withal all the prestige and performance you could want. But not all of these Lux-u-vees are created equal, so we compare two of the very best, the Land Rover Range Rover Sport and the BMW X5. Both are all-new and massively improved for 2014. But which one wins?
LED lighting in the front and rear, a chunky fender vent, and a chiseled shape make the 2014 Range Rover Sport a delight to look at.
When it comes to testing two premium luxury SUVs that can push their price-tags into six figures, one thing is certain: neither is going to stink up the place. That’s why comparing the all-new 2014 BMW X5 and just-as-new Land Rover Range Rover Sport is like deciding between crème brûlée and crème caramel…they’re both delicious (and highly caloric). But alas, they have very different characters.
Style Statements
If you can only drive one at a time, and if it was my money, I’d go with the Land Rover Range Rover Sport. Why? The 2014 BMW X5’s new exterior is dowdier than before, with slab sides and a blunter nose. We wouldn’t say the X5 is unattractive, but its design relies on things like nifty LED lights and various decorative ornaments on the fasciae and body-sides to dress up the styling. Like flat-front khakis and a pastel polo shirt; the X5 is country-club correct, if not terribly interesting.
The Range Rover Sport has plenty of decoration on the exterior too. This includes sleek LED lighting at the front and rear, as well as a chunky fender vent. The chiseled shape is simply more distinctive than the BMW. Range Rover also offers countless customization opportunities, including an available contrast-color roof treatment. The clear fashion-statement winner here is definitely the Rover.
The 2014 BMW X5 may not be the hottest looking thing, but it does the trick.
Cabin Comfort
Both of these vehicles have opulent cabins, with even more premium materials and features on the options lists. But the Bimmer bests the Range Rover Sport in two key areas: space (there’s more of it, with room for up to seven passengers) and the control interface. BMW has worked for years to perfect its hockey-puck-and-screen iDrive infotainment system, and now it works brilliantly.
The Range Rover Sport can only seat five, and for infotainment, it uses a touch screen interface that can’t multitask terribly well and is annoyingly slow to respond to inputs. That said, the seats are wonderful (as they are in the Bimmer, to be fair), and Rover’s boxy interior design is quite regal and British in character.
The 2014 BMW X5 may not be the hottest looking thing, but it does the trick.
Cabin Comfort
Both of these vehicles have opulent cabins, with even more premium materials and features on the options lists. But the Bimmer bests the Range Rover Sport in two key areas: space (there’s more of it, with room for up to seven passengers) and the control interface. BMW has worked for years to perfect its hockey-puck-and-screen iDrive infotainment system, and now it works brilliantly.
The Range Rover Sport can only seat five, and for infotainment, it uses a touch screen interface that can’t multitask terribly well and is annoyingly slow to respond to inputs. That said, the seats are wonderful (as they are in the Bimmer, to be fair), and Rover’s boxy interior design is quite regal and British in character. By contrast, the X5’s cabin is modern and sleek – but its business-like sterility can also work against it. In terms of luxury and style, this contest is a draw.
Deciding between these luxury sport utilities comes down to an emotional connection to the vehicle. After all, that’s something a person ought to have when plunking down $60K—$100K for a vehicle. Did we find ourselves more excited about hopping into the cool and functional X5, or the character-rich Range Rover Sport? In terms of overall character, the Range Rover Sport is the winner.
2015 Lexus NX vs. 2015 Audi Q5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoIx3NqZ1zk
2014 Audi Q5 vs. 2014 Mercedes-Benz GLK 250 BlueTEC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c98GbcfHa1E
2015 Range Rover Sport vs. 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
2015 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque
2014 AUDİ Q5 vs. 2014 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvFuYpAWP2I
2014 Infiniti QX70
2014 Porsche Cayenne
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